Google, likely the world's largest single user of IT hardware, has designed its own servers and data centers in such a way as to use an estimated five times less energy than typical data centers.

A new page on the company's website explains how the company has been working on developing energy-efficient servers and data centers for "nearly a decade," and that in the course of searching on Google, an individual's personal computer will use more energy than the server that's handling the query.

The site also lays out Google's five-step plan for green IT:

1. Minimize electricity used by servers
2. Reduce the energy used by the data center facilities themselves
3. Conserve precious fresh water by using recycled water instead
4. Reuse or recycle all electronic equipment that leaves our data centers
5. Engage with our peers to advance smarter energy practices

Visit http://www.google.com/corporate/datacenters for more information and resources on server and data center design, e-waste processing and energy-efficient computing.